Just Another Crazy Day In The Life Of Aeyla Skywalker
by Aeyla Skywalker
Summary: Series of short stories about Aeyla Skywalker, Anakin's little sister. Full summary inside for each new story. In some, Shmi will still be alive, and Anakin will have more than one sibling. Most will have the Freedom Fighters, but with a twist. Characters from all prequel series, also some from original and Oc's. Very Au PLEASE REVIEW! T for mild swearing.


**REPOSTED – PLEASE LEAVE ME SOME REVIEWS, GUYS, AS NO ONE SAID ANYTHING LAST TIME, SO I DIDN'T THINK THEY LIKED IT. **

**THIS WILL BE A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES, BUT DON'T EXPECT QUICK UPDATES TOO OFTEN, BECAUSE I TRY TO MAKE THESE CHAPTERS ABOUT 15-16000 WORDS LONG. **

_**NOT**_** PART OF MY PADME-CLOVIS SERIES, BUT ABOUT ANAKIN'S SISTER, AEYLA SKYWALKER. EACH STORY WILL BE DIFFERENT AND HAVE DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, BUT MOST WILL HAVE THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS IN THEM, BUT WITH A BIT OF A SPIN. I SOME, LIKE THIS ONE, SHMI WILL BE ALIVE AS WELL.**

**This first story has Shmi in it, and Aeyla has been a free woman for a few years now, working secretly with the Freedom Fighters and officially living with her mother, step-father, Owen, Beru and Cliegg and Shmi's five year old twins – Jacob and Margret – or Jake and Maggie, as they prefer. **

**SUMMARY: AU: Anakin is on leave from the war, and has gone to visit the Lars' on Tatooine, only to get a surprise when he sees his sister again and finds she has been holding something back from him. Mostly focuses on Anakin and Aeyla and their relationship with their family. Currently an Aeyla Skywalker one-shot, but I may add more depending if people like this or not. Rated T to be safe.**

* * *

**Family**

Childish laughter drifted through the house, pulling Aeyla Skywalker from the deepest of slumbers. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow while trying to block out the sounds of her two younger siblings as they shrieked and laughed their way round and round the open-air courtyard of the otherwise under-ground house.

But, alas, this was not to be.

Her bedroom door suddenly crashed open and her mother drifted in, humming merrily to herself as she threw open the curtains of the window which looked out onto her screaming young children in the courtyard below, smiled fondly and then turned to leave, only then noticing her daughter lying in bed with her pillow over her head and her covers up to her neck.

"Aeyla! You're back!" She paused for a moment, and peered at the slim figure on the bed. "Are you awake, dear?"

"I am now." Aeyla grumbled as she dragged herself into an upright position and permitted her mother to kiss her cheek and hug her tightly.

"When did you get back?" Her mother asked, bubbling over with happiness.

"Last night," Aeyla replied, yawning widely then quickly stifling a grin. Her mother and new extended-family all thought that she spent most of her days all the way out in Mos Espa, taking the odd jobs she could find where people didn't already have slaves, but in actual fact she spent them training with a secret group of slaves – both free and owned – and the odd free-born who didn't believe in slavery, training to fight and battling the Bu Lordas – which in basoc literally meant 'The Bosses' or 'The Masters' which Aeyla thought was a bit pretentious, but then who was she to judge? – who believed that they should have the whole planet enslaved to work just for them, before moving onto other planets in the Galaxy.

The group Aeyla was part of was called the Freedom Fighters, and everyone know of both them and Bu Lordas, and secretly supported wither one of them. It had to be a secret if you supported the Freedom Fighters, because Bu Lordas were known to brutally murder anyone who supported the slave group. That was why nobody could know the identities of the actual Fighters: it would be dangerous for them if Bu Lordas found out, and the sadistic bastards might even go after a member of their family to get at them.

That was part of the reason why Aeyla hadn't told the Lars' what she got up to: she didn't want one of them possibly blabbing about her true identity and therefore putting all the others in danger, but also because her mother was very anti-violence, and it was hard enough for her with the knowledge that her first born son – Anakin Skywalker – was now a famed Jedi General who fought on the front Lines in a Galactic Civil War.

Aeyla smiled slightly as she imagined what the aging woman's reaction would be if she knew that that same son had secretly been a Freedom Fighter when he was still a young slave boy working in a junk shop in the space port of Mos Espa, along with a couple of his friends.

It had been Anakin who had first taken Aeyla to a training session of the Fighters, and she had instantly fallen in love. She was like Anakin, you see: strong, capable and bursting with energy – which, from that day on, she channelled into becoming the best fighter in the group. Of course, Anakin was still better than her, having taught her everything she knew, but he was more involved with the Clone Wars, now-a-days, and was hardly ever granted leave – that and he hadn't trained like the Fighters in a long time. The Jedi were slightly less violent, you see, but she knew that he still kept up with what he had learned as a child – which was, admittedly, a lot. When he did get some leave, Aeyla knew that he liked to spend as much of it with his secret wife as he could, so she really couldn't blame him for not being around much. Besides: she was happy for him. He still managed to see her on the very odd occasion – like that time a few months ago when he had been sent on a mission to Tantooine and ad managed to sneak away from his young, lively Padawan learner – Ahsoka Tano –to see the Freedom Fighters, even if it was only a fleeting visit and he spent most of his time catching up with her and Kitster.

Shmi shot her daughter one last smile before leaving the room and shutting the door quietly behind her, allowing Aeyla to get changed in private.

Sighing, Aeyla dragged her exhausted body from her nice, warm bed and over to the large chest in the corner of the small bedroom, which was full of her clothes.

As she pulled on the tight leather top and figure-hugging trousers, Aeyla grinned to herself. Her mother didn't approve of her clothes, that much was obvious, and she and to admit that they could get quite hot in the middle of the day with the binary suns beating down on her tanned shoulders, but that happened to everyone on the planet. Besides, they were practical, and easy to fight in, and Aeyla had the feeling that that was what her mother hated most about them – not to mention that many bounty hunters wore similar clothing. Honestly, it was a wonder none of them had figured out what she actually did with her time, the clues were all there! Then again, sometimes that was the best place to hide something: in plain sight.

Her high-heeled, knee length brown boots clicked softly as she walked into the small kitchen, hitching a sunny smile onto her pretty face.

"Morning!"

The Lars' all stared as she came in, taken by surprise as no-one but her mother knew she was back.

"Aeyla!" The twins shrieked in delight, and threw themselves from the table, where Shmi was trying and failing to get them to settle down and eat some breakfast.

Aeyla's grin was genuine as five year olds Jacob and Maggie collided with her, each of them tightly hugging one or other of her legs. She laughed. "Well hey there, you two. Were you good for Mommy while I was gone?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" They chanted, their childish faces lit up with pure joy at the fact that the sister who they both adored was home – a rare treat these days, as she was always so busy with the Fighters.

"Really?" Aeyla asked, frowning down at them while trying desperately to hold off the smile that was threatening to pull up the corners of her full lips. "I don't think you have."

"Why not?" Jacob asked, sounding hurt as he frowned in puzzlement.

"Because you're not doing what Mom's telling you right now, are you?"

"But you're back. You only asked if we behaved when you were gone." Maggie pointed out.

This time Aeyla couldn't help it: she grinned. Even though she was only five years old, Margaret Lars was a very smart little girl – only don't call her Margaret to her face; she prefers Maggie.

"Very impressive, little sister," Aeyla conceded, ruffling her tousled, light brown hair affectionately. "But I still think you two are a pair of trouble makers." She said, herding the pair of them back to the table and settling them down in their seats.

"Much like you and your brother when you were their age, then." Her mother replied wryly, though secretly impressed as her oldest daughter got her troublesome twins to calm down and eat some cereal simply by asking them to. Shmi smiled: she supposed she really shouldn't be surprised; the twins loved their sister, and would do anything she asked, and Aeyla was a natural with kids.

Shmi's thoughts drifted to her oldest son, and her smile turned sad.

Anakin had been gone for almost fourteen years now, and spent his life fighting all over the Galaxy battling the Separatist armies and trying to restore peace and order to the Galaxy along with the other Jedi who fought on the front Lines.

But things had got even more dangerous recently, as the Chancellor of the Republic and been outed as the Sith Lord who had been controlling the entire war But Anakin had turned the tables on him when he attempted to sway him to the Dark Side, and had revealed to the Galaxy that Palpatine was in fact a traitor.

The Sith had been forced to flee, and had publicly allied himself against the Republic. And so the Separatists had become the Empire, and Palpatine had become Emperor, and the war had escalated even more so.

Shmi only knew all this because Aeyla had run into her brother one day a few months back while out in Mos Espa, and Anakin had filled her in on the wars' progress after she had literally begged him for details.

What Shmi didn't know was that Aeyla had actually been taking a break from a long, hard morning of physical training with the Freedom Fighters, and had run into Anakin in a tavern – a regular hang-out of an incredibly dangerous assassin he had been tracking.

So you can see why she glossed over the detail of how she met her brother again.

The twins had never met their brother, but they knew a lot about him from the stories that Shmi – and sometimes Aeyla – had told them.

On the day four years ago when Anakin had returned to Tantooine with Padme Nabberie and rescued his mother from the vicious Sand People, Aeyla had taken one year old Jake and Maggie into Anchorhead for the day with Kitster Banai – an old childhood friend of Anakin's who had developed an ongoing flirtation with Aeyla over the years – to take their young minds off the fact that their mother had been missing for days now. They may only have been young at the time, but they were intelligent and had noticed the strange absence of her presence.

Shmi knew that the twins wanted to meet their brother – more and more as the days past and they heard more about him – but she just didn't see it happening. The chances that Aeyla would run into him in a tavern were astronomical, and she doubted very much that another such miracle would occur: she knew her son had hated this planet, and probably didn't want to return ever again.

At first she had wondered why he had come here in the first place when he spoke to Aeyla, but, when Aeyla had mentioned that he was on a mission at the time, it had all made sense. She doubted very much if he got to choose what missions he went on: the Jedi Council told him where to go, and he had to – no questions asked. Of course, she thought with a slight smile, no doubt he would have had something to say about sending him on particular missions – such as returning to Tantooine – but he would still do them.

Her son relished a challenge, that much Shmi new. He also had a very sharp tongue, and he had often stumbled home badly beaten because of it when he was still a slave. But all in all he had been a good child – if causing slightly more trouble than your average young boy – but Shmi still loved him dearly. Sure, they had had the occasional row, but they had still gotten on okay. And, when Shmi had Aeyla, none of that had changed. Although still only a very young boy, Shmi had got the impression that he didn't like Aeyla's father – she hadn't either, but she had been a slave to Gardulla the Hutt at the time, and there was nothing she could have done to stop him the numerous times he had beaten and raped her.

Shmi shuddered, and quickly suppressed those less than pleasant memories, pulling her mind back to the here and now to find her daughter watching her, understanding blinking softly in her blue eyes. Though not as vivid as Anakin's eyes had been, Aeyla's certainly came close to it. She smiled reassuringly at her daughter, and then sat down with her coffee in between her husband and step-son.

"So, what's everyone planning for today?" She asked, watching with amusement as Jacob tried and failed to scoop up a particularly stubborn bit of cereal, his tongue sticking out from between his teeth and his hair sticking up all over the place with his sweet face the picture of concentration.

"I need a new part for that vaporator, but the nearest place I can get one is Mos Espa." Cliegg replied, laying a hand on his wife's on top of the table and gazing at her tenderly. "I thought perhaps we could make a day trip out of it – take the kids. Do you mind?"

Shmi smiled. "Not at all. It'll do them good to get out and about for a bit." She glanced round at Aeyla, Owen and Beru, who had recently accepted when Owen had asked her to marry him. "What about you three? Are you coming too?"

Aeyla smiled. "Sure thing. I can take the twins over to see Kitster and Wald while you guys get the parts, if you want."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" The twins cried in excitement, and Shmi couldn't help but smile and nod her agreement. The two of them loved visiting Anakin's old friends, who would tell them stories about her son that Shmi herself didn't know – he had got up to a lot more mischief in his nine short years on the desert planet than even she had thought.

Owen chuckled. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."

"Me too," Beru added, and they all grinned at each other, before quickly finishing up and heading their separate ways to get ready.

* * *

Three hours later they were strolling through the sandy streets of Mos Espa, having just picked up Kitster and left Shmi and Cliegg at the door to Watto's shop.

The twins were laughing and running round their legs, dodging their hands as all four adults tried to grab them – it would have been all too easy, but they figured they'd better let them think they'd won and then pounce when they were least expecting it.

"Phew!" Kitster said after a few minutes of this. "I'm all worn out – you two are just too good for us!" He pretended to be flagging, but shot Aeyla the ghost of a wink, knowing full well that neither of them were even a little worn out, thanks to having well honed bodies from hours upon hours of physical fighting practice with the Freedom Fighters.

"Does that mean we've won?" Maggie asked, her eyes dancing as the adrenaline from the dodging coursed through her system.

"I suppose it does." Kitster said, careful to keep his eyes off the tall, lithe figure of their older sister as she snuck around the back of them. He interrupted them mid-cheer, however. "If you can outrun your sister, that is." He added with an evil grin.

The twins froze, both realising what the two of them had been planning. They turned slowly, and the expressions on their faces were priceless when they saw Aeyla standing right there.

"Boo." She grinned, and laughed when they shrieked, turning to take off down the road. But they were too late.

Aeyla and Kitster both darted forwards, grabbing a twin each around the waist and hoisting them up in the air, laughing at their kicking feet and incredulous screeches while Owen and Beru were doubled over with laughter nearby.

"No fair!" Jacob gasped as Kitster let him down, still chuckling.

"Yes fair." Aeyla replied, lowering Maggie to the ground again and imitating her little brothers pouting face.

"We won!"

"No we won!"

"We won!" He screeched, and she fell into Kitsters' arms in a fit of hysterical giggling as his face near enough turned purple.

Kitster chuckled, supporting her slightly shaking body as she laughed and laughed against him. "Calm down." He said, but her laughter was proving infectious and Owen and Beru had already become victims of it. "Seriously Aeyla, you're crazy!"

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes from laughing so much, and that was all it took: he was away, giggling and laughing with the others, and even the twins had to join in.

"Well, this certainly looks like fun." Said an amused voice behind them, in an accent that clearly wasn't Tantooine.

Aeyla and Kitster froze, their laughter forgotten as they turned as one to face the new arrival, ready to defend the others should he pose a threat.

"Who are you?" Kitster demanded, steel in his voice.

The man in front of them smiled. "Relax, my friend: I mean you no harm."

"Then you won't mind telling us who you are, then, will you?" Aeyla replied, moving so that she stood in front of the twins, and at a good angle to attack the man should she need to.

The man realised what she was doing, and his eyes narrowed slightly, his hand straying beneath his cloak, reaching for what they assumed was a blaster. Both Aeyla and Kitster knew that their chances were lessening now that they knew he was armed – neither of them were – but they were also the best fighters that the Freedom Fighters had, and if anyone could take this stranger, they could.

"I don't want any trouble. I merely wished to express my opinion that it looked like you were all having fun." He said, and sighed when they still didn't relax their aggressive positions.

"Yet you still haven't told us who you are, slemo." Aeyla hissed, and the man looked affronted.

"Really! Does no-one on this planet have any manners?!"

"I told you, master," An amused voice drawled from behind him. "Manners don't do much for you out here. It ain't like Coruscant."

Everyone turned to see who the new arrival was, and saw a young man in his early twenties, with tanned skin and brilliant blue eyes that glittered with the grin he sent Aeyla's way, along with a young Togrutan girl who stared at them hostilely.

The older man saw the grin, and sighed in exasperation. "Can you _please_ not flirt with anyone?" He asked, grounding his teeth together in frustration.

"Ew, gross!" Aeyla muttered, and the young man shot her a roguish grin.

"I said don't!"

"Where are your manners, master?" he asked innocently, but Aeyla easily recognised the devilish glint in his eyes.

"What do you mean, where are my manners?" He asked, thrown off track slightly by the odd question.

"Have you told them your name yet?" The young man leaned casually against the wall, while the young girl stared at him incredulously.

"Master!" She hissed. "What are you doing?! How are you supposed to fight if they attack us?"

He just smirked. "Oh, they won't be attacking us, Snips. Not if they want to go home in one piece, at any rate."

Aeyla scoffed. "Oh, so you think you could take us then, do you flyboy?"

He pulled a face. "Flyboy?"

Kitster raised an eyebrow at her. "I agree. _Flyboy_?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's an expression, dimwits."

The young man chuckled. "Some things never change." He muttered, and she grinned at him.

"Hang on; do you two know each other?" The older man asked, but all he got in response was an eye-roll.

"Name." Aeyla snapped at him, and he jumped slightly at her dramatic change of tone. Aeyla smirked inwardly, and could see her older brother struggling to hold off a laugh of his own.

The man drew himself up to his full height, and fixed her with a cold, stormy grey stare. "I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. And who, may I ask, are _you_?"

"Way to keep your cover." The younger man muttered under his breath, and Kitster grinned, like Aeyla, knowing full well who _he_ was.

"Aeyla." She replied, smiling sweetly across at him. "Aeyla Skywalker."

Obi-Wan's mouth fell open, as he stared at her, then at the younger man, then back again. "You…I mean…_what_?"

Maggie sniggered to herself, unaware as to why he had reacted like that.

She watched curiously as he rounded on the younger man. "Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?!" He demanded.

"You never asked." Was all the reply he got.

Maggie frowned, confused. Why would her sisters' name mean that this other man had a sister?

"Excuse me, sir." She said, stepping out from behind Aeyla to face him and ignoring her sisters muttered curse at her action. "But why does my sisters' name mean your friend here has a sister?"

"Your sister, huh?" The young man said, his eyes glinting at Aeyla. "Well, you failed to mention _that_."

Aeyla rolled her eyes at him. "I last saw you almost several months ago, what; do you expect me to remember everything?"

He snorted. "I'd expect you to remember you had a kid brother and sister. What age would they have been back then?"

"'Bout four." She muttered, and he shook his head.

"Some sister you are." He teased, and she grinned back.

"Um, no-one's answered my question yet." Maggie said timidly, wary of upsetting these bigger, stronger men.

"Because, little one, his name is Anakin Skywalker." Obi-Wan replied, and both Maggie and Jacob gasped, gazing up at the man they now knew to be their older brother in amazement.

"Wow!" Jacob exclaimed, dodging round Aeyla's legs and scampering towards him. He stopped at his feet and gazed up at him. "You're _tall_!"

Aeyla giggled, and Anakin grinned. "Thanks very much." He replied, a playful lilt in his deep voice that still held traces of his old accent. "You're small."

Jacob grinned. "One day I'll be tall like Daddy was before he lost his leg. Now he's small 'cause he has to sit in a chair all the time."

The young Togrutan girl raised an eyebrow. "How'd he lose his leg?"

"Tuskan Raiders. They took my Mummy and Daddy went to look for her, but they attacked and he lost his leg. But Anakin rescued her, and now we live happily on the farm stead." He replied, quite matter of factly, and Anakin had to stop himself before he chuckled out loud.

The togrutan girl looked stricken. "But that's horrible! Hang on –" She turned to look penetratingly at Anakin. "How come you rescued her? This was…how many years ago?"

"Four." Anakin replied. "I came back because I'd been having…dreams, for a while."

"What sort of dreams?"

But Anakin just glared at her, obviously not going to tell her anymore.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch you name." Owen butted in, and she scowled at him.

"Ahsoka Tano. And I didn't catch _yours _either."

"Owen Lars. I'm Anakin's step-brother."

"Yeah? Well I'm his Padawan."

"Oh for fuck sake." Anakin muttered, and quickly stepped between them.

"Snips, go with Obi-Wan and do whatever he tells you. You should be doing that anyway, come to think of it." He added as an afterthought, and Obi-Wan frowned.

"Hang on," He said slowly. "You're not supposed to be here. Where does the Council think you are?" He demanded, and his former Padawan flashed him a grin.

"Meditative Retreat. I didn't say where."

Obi-Wan threw his hands up in exasperation, and sighed. "Oh, I give up! Come on Ahsoka."

They walked off together, and Anakin watched them with laughter dancing in his dazzling blue eyes before turning back to the others.

"So you can spare a couple of hours, then?" Kitster asked, looking forward to spending some time with the man who had become like a brother to him when they were growing up.

Anakin grinned at him. "I can have as many hours as you guys like – I have two weeks leave for the Retreat."

Aeyla smiled. "Cool. Do you want to come with us now, then? We need to pick Mum and Cliegg up from Watto's."

Although Anakin wasn't exactly excited about seeing his old master again, he agreed to come with them, and half an hour later they were strolling through the streets of Mos Espa, Anakin slipping back into his old accent as they talked and laughed and joked with the twins.

"Is it true you won the Boonta Eve Classic?" Jacob asked excitedly from where he perched, bouncing around, on Anakin's strong shoulders.

Anakin chuckled, both at the boys' enthusiasm and his inability to sit still because of his excitement. "Yep. It was fun."

"And you're the only human who can do it?" Maggie asked, her eyes shining up at him from where she scampered along, clutching onto Aeyla's hand.

"As far as I know, yeah."

"Cool…" Both twins said in unison, and everybody smiled.

"So, Anakin," Beru broke in as they rounded the corner of the street that housed Watto's shop. "What's that Obi-Wan guy here for?"

Anakin ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair, causing Jacob to shriek in fright as he was shifted over slightly. "We've been tracking this movement for a while. One of the leaders is due to arrive here to meet with the Hutts to try to convince them to remove the Republic's access to their space lanes. So the Council sent him and Ahsoka to apprehend him before he can reach them, and hopefully bring him back to Coruscant where he'll stand trial."

"Why does the Republic have to have access to the space lanes?" Maggie asked curiously, and Anakin smiled at her.

"Without those lanes, we wouldn't be able to send out troopers to certain parts of the galaxy, and planets would fall to the Empire. Those space lanes are vital to the Republic, and the war effort."

"Oh."

Anakin reached over, and ruffled her hair. "It ain't so bad. We'd still be able to take other routes round, but it would take far longer, and we might not get there on time to save the planet."

"What's the best planet you've ever been to?" Jacob asked, and Anakin smiled slightly.

"That's a hard question, since mostly I travel to battlefields, but if you're looking for the opposite of this dust-ball, Naboo really is a great place."

"Isn't that where that Padme girl that came here with you is from?" Beru asked curiously, and Anakin grinned.

"Might be."

"Is that why you like it there?" Owen teased, and Anakin's' grin widened.

"Maybe."

* * *

Shmi and Cliegg were just finishing up with Watto when they arrived back, but with two more young men than when they had left them to find Kitster.

"Have you kissed her?" Owen was teasing the second young man, who Shmi didn't recognise at first – he'd changed a lot since she had last seen him.

The man grinned at her, and it was the same mischievous grin that she had known and loved. "Might have done."

"More than once?" Beru retaliated, and he laughed.

"Fine, yes, I'll admit it: I've kissed her. Are you lot happy know?"

They all laughed – even Maggie and Jake, though they didn't know who it was they were all talking about.

"_Anakin_?" Shmi asked incredulously as she recognised her son.

He gave her a heart-melting grin, his brilliantly blue eyes sparkling with life and laughter. "Hey Mom."

She rushed forward and threw her arms around him, grateful when he laughed and hugged her in return.

"Little Ani?" Watto asked, surprised at the difference between even the young man who stood before him now and the one he had last seen again four years ago.

"Not so little anymore!" Shmi said, her eyes sparkling with tears of joy as she reluctantly released her son and her husband hovered forward to smile and shake his hand.

Anakin's gaze strayed to the wrapped part that they had just purchased, his sharp eyes taking in the reluctant, wary glances Cliegg was sending it without even realising, and he chuckled. His step-father clearly wasn't looking forward to lugging it about anywhere, and there was no way his mother would be able to.

"Need a hand with that?"

Cliegg looked immensely relieved. "Would you mind? The speeder's not far; just around the corner."

Anakin smiled. "Not at all." And he stepped forward and hoisted up the heavy package as if it was nothing at all, and they could all see the steel-like muscles coiling under the thin fabric of his shirt.

He grinned at their incredulous expressions. "Lead the way."

Shmi was surprise by the strength in her sons arms as she led the way across the street to their waiting speeder (not knowing that he could use the Force to aid in such things if it got too much), then, after securing it and everyone crowding in, they set off, heading to the Lars' moisture farm, but this time with their family whole again – and Kitster, though over the years he had grown so close with all of them – especially Aeyla – that he practically was family.

* * *

"So, who's this you've been kissing, Ani?" Shmi asked later as they were all settled round the Lars' dining room table eating a light lunch with chilled drinks, keeping inside for the most part as the day reached its hottest.

Anakin chuckled. "Why do you want to know?" He playfully avoided, his eyes lit up with mischief.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm your mother, Ani," She playfully scolded. "Don't I have a right to know who my little boy is involved with?"

Cliegg smiled slightly at his wife's choice of words. "He's hardly little, dear." He said with a chuckle, marvelling at his step-son's long, lean, muscular body, and Anakin grinned at him, leaning back in his seat as he studied his mother.

"Can you keep a secret?" He asked, and she raised an eyebrow. "'Cause what I'm about to tell you is technically illegal."

She looked suddenly stern, but, really, she shouldn't have been surprised. "Of course I can. What is it?"

"I've been kissing the woman I married."

Silence.

The Lars' stared at him in amazed astonishment, all except Aeyla, who had known all about her brother and his relationship with a certain beautiful Senator.

"Married?" Shmi squeaked, and Aeyla couldn't help the slight, nervous giggle that erupted within her at the high pitched noise, though she quickly turned it into a cough. Of course, no-one was fooled.

Anakin smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes – he hadn't really planned on telling his family about his marriage – although Aeyla and Kitster had already known – and, though he didn't show it, he was worried. "Yeah. You've met her."

She looked slightly surprised. "I have?"

This time Anakin's smile was genuine and full of warmth. "Padme."

Owen's mouth dropped open. "_What_? And here I thought you were just having a fling or something when you admitted you'd kissed her!"

Anakin grinned at his step-brother, while Beru rushed round the table to hug him tightly.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you both!"

It was Aeyla's turn to grin. "And that's not even the best part," She remarked, drawing everyone's attention to her as her eyes turned to Anakin, pleading for the information that she was so desperate to hear.

"Well?" She asked, knowing full well that he would know what she meant, and his grin widened, as he turned to face his mother again.

"Padme was pregnant."

This drew shocked and excited gasps from around the table, then Shmi's brow furrowed, concerned.

"Was?" She enquired, and Anakin smiled softly at her.

"You're a Gran now, Mom."

She let out an ecstatic gasp, and threw herself into her sons' arms, sobbing in happiness as he laughed and held her close.

She drew back after a few moments with tears of joy still shining in her eyes. "So, what's her name?"

Anakin chuckled. "What makes you think it's a girl?"

She was about to reply, but Anakin spoke through her, unable to stop the proud grin from splitting his face:

"Luke and Leia."

Cliegg gasped. "Twins?" He asked in a small voice, and Anakin nodded as his sister hugged him, beaming. She had known Padme was pregnant, but not with _twins_! This was great news!

Kitster was next to hug his childhood friend, giving him a friendly slap on the back and a broad grin before Jake and Maggie barrelled into him, over the moon at being aunts and uncles – despite the fact that they had never met their sister in law, nor, until today, their brother.

"Will we get to meet them?" Little Maggie chirruped, and Shmi saw Anakin's smile tighten slightly, before he quickly hitched it back in place, as believable as if it were actually real.

"We'll see, Mags."

Shmi was suddenly struck by a sudden thought. "What are you doing here, then?!" She cried. "You should be with your wife and children, not all the way out here!"

Anakin chuckled. "Relax, Mom: it's fine. It was actually Padme's idea that I come out here. She would have come herself, but the twins are only a couple of months, and she didn't want to leave them – she's staying with her parents, and I'll meet them there in a couple of days."

Shmi relaxed slightly, and smiled at her son. "That's a shame: I'd have liked to meet her again – just think, I've got a daughter in law!" Everyone laughed at this, and congratulated Anakin once again.

* * *

After lunch, Anakin went out with Cliegg, Owen and Aeyla to the farm, where between them they got the vaporator fixed in no time, what with Anakin's superb mechanical skills and Aeyla's close second.

Afterwards, brother and sister met up with Kitster, where they filled Anakin in on the stuff he hadn't been updated on to do with the Freedom Fighters – which turned out to be quite a lot.

"So, you say you hadn't been told _any_ of this?" Kitster questioned as they sat in an old dug out far out on the Lars' land – a place from long ago that Aeyla had found shortly after moving here with her mother that had been used years ago by mercenaries, by the looks of things – as they nursed Ruby Bleils – something that you couldn't get anywhere else in the Galaxy.

Anakin shook his head. "Nope. Clearly someone doesn't want me in the know, shall we say."

Kitster looked glum. "Clearly." He muttered. "But who? I suppose it would have to be someone you've pissed off…"

Aeyla let out a snort. "_That_ could be a lot of people."

Her brother grinned at her. "Like you're any better!"

She shrugged, and turned to Kitster as he continued to mull it over. "So, who hates him that much in Intel.?"

Kitster shrugged unhelpfully, and she sighed.

"Alright: so, who do we know that's actually _in_ Intel.?"

This was often a problem for Fighters who wanted to find something out – for example, in a case like this one: even the Fighters themselves didn't know everybody in their ranks, enabling them to operate in secrecy even better. You would know the people you worked with the most closely, and perhaps a couple of others, but people rarely knew many – or else you knew them as a person, but didn't know they were a Fighter. This way, if a Fighter was captured and interrogated – as happened far more often than Aeyla liked – they couldn't give away too many people in the movement.

"Well, there's Melee, but somehow I don't see her hating you." Kitster supplied with a sidelong grin at Anakin, causing the slightly older man to roll his eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling there's something I don't know about her?" He asked vaguely, and Kitster chuckled.

"She's like, totally in love with you. Has been since even before you left."

"Well, I'm spoken for." Anakin replied with a yawn, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. Aeyla looked at him anxiously: he looked exhausted.

"Are you okay?"

He shot her a small, tired smiled. "I'm fine – just didn't get much sleep recently."

"Why not?" Kitster asked, curious.

His friend grimaced. "Bombs, mostly. Screams, explosions, fighting for my life…that sort of thing."

Kitster mirrored his grimaced. "Must be hell."

Anakin shrugged. "It's not that bad – not if you're used to it, anyway. This was actually one of the tamer missions."

His friend raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment. "So, who else do we know that's in Intel.?"

Aeyla chewed on her lips thoughtfully, her brow furrowed in concentration, and Anakin couldn't help but notice how his friends eyes were drawn to the lip that was getting worked hard between her sharp teeth, a slightly hungry look in his eyes, and he barely managed to hold off his grin. Apparently Kitster was interested in his sister…this could be fun on _so_ many levels. But he wasn't that mean.

He'd leave the teasing for less serious moments.

"Well, there's Nandi, but she seemed star-struck when she caught a glimpse of him last time, too, so she's out of the equation, as well." Kitster replied.

"And…Seek!" Aeyla suddenly burst out. "Come on guys, it's gotta be him!"

Anakin frowned, thinking her words over. "What the hell's he playing at, though? I mean, what's he got to gain out of all this?"

"Less work and a possible chance to get you kicked out if you don't show up to missions that he was supposed to pass the intel. onto you for." Kitster replied seriously, and they all shared a look.

If Seek _was_ deliberately withholding information, and he _did_ cause Anakin not to show up, it could endanger the lives of other Fighters who he was perhaps supposed to be getting in to and out of somewhere dangerous. Over the past few years the Fighters had been able to travel to other places in the Galaxy – with Anakin's help – and he was invaluable for missions like that, because of the resources he was able to get access to and the intelligence he got as well. He could even get a squadron of clone troopers on the scene if he had to – as long as he cleared it with Jedi Grand Master Yoda, that is. The little green Jedi was the only one who knew about his involvement with the group – well, apart from the Nabrynskis', but they didn't count because they were just his cover for when he snuck out either to work with them or visit his wife in secret.

"What are we going to do about him?" Aeyla asked quietly, and Anakin shocked them both by replying:

"Nothing."

"WHAT?"

He shrugged and ran his flesh and blood hand through his unruly light brown hair. "What _can_ we do? Fobe would never believe us if we told him: he likes Seek far too much for that."

"Yeah, and hates us." Kitster added bitterly, and Anakin grinned.

"Lots about us to hate," He said cheerfully. "I mean, we're smart, charming, funny, drop-dead gorgeous –"

Aeyla let out a snort of laughter. "What planet are _you_ on?" She choked out through unladylike chortles, and her brother grinned back.

"See: knew I could get you to lighten up. But I notice you haven't denied that Kitster's all those things…" He dodged away from her punch quickly, and laughed as she leapt to her feet and charged at him.

Anakin caught her easily, and flipped her over his hip. But she wasn't going to give up that easily.

She came at him once more, launching off a flurry of kicks and punches, which he effortlessly blocked, before releasing his own flurry back at her, and smiling when he barely landed any hits on her.

"You're improving," He said approvingly, and Aeyla grinned back, pleased with the praise.

"I learnt from the best."

Anakin grinned back. "That you did, little sister: that you did."

She snorted. "Big head," She muttered, and both Kitster – who had been watching the show with an amused expression on his handsome face – and Anakin chuckled.

"Come on," Kitster said, standing with a grin. "It's getting dark: we'd best get back."

Anakin nodded, and the two men followed Aeyla out as she left slightly ahead of them.

The three of them proceeded to walk slowly across the expanse of the moisture farm, heading back to the house, and Anakin saw this as the perfect opportunity to talk to Kitster about a few things.

Noticing that his friend's eyes were on his little sister as she walked along ahead of them, Anakin grinned.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" He commented, feeling a slight pang in his heart as he realised that his baby sister was all grown up: of course, he had known she was, but still…it was still easy for him to remember that bubbly little girl with the big smile and killer right hook from his childhood – even back at the very beginning of her training, she had progressed extremely fast, catching on very quickly.

"Yeah," Kitster agreed almost without thinking, and Anakin saw his cheeks suddenly burn as he realised what he had said. "I mean –"

Anakin chuckled as he cut his friend off. "Relax: I know you like her," He teased lightly, and Kitster's blush deepened.

"I do no-!"

Again he was cut off by Anakin. "You can try to fool yourself all you like mate, but you can't fool me."

Kitster muttered something that sounded suspiciously like: "Bloody Jedi powers," and Anakin quickly hid his grin.

"She likes you too, you know," He said conversationally after a few moments of companionable silence, and Kitster sighed, knowing his friend well enough to know that he wasn't going to drop it.

"And what would you have me do, exactly?" He questioned, slightly exasperated.

"Easy: ask her out." Anakin said, like it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy.

Kitster gaped at him. "What! Are you crazy? I can't just ask her out!" He yelped, and Aeyla shot them a curious look back over her shoulder, but turned away again.

Kitster lowered his voice again, and hissed furiously to his long time best friend: "I can't just ask her out, you dolt! She's Aeyla Skywalker, for Force sake!"

Anakin shot him a curious and slightly incredulous look. "Did you just call me a _dolt_?"

Kitster sighed. "Yeah, yeah: _whatever_. Anyway, are you even listening to me? She's like…the _elite_! I mean, have you _seen_ her?! She's gorgeous!"

"I know," Anakin replied, as even he could easily see that his little sister could probably pull any man she wanted. "And that's why _you_ have to get in there before someone else comes along."

Kitster sighed dejectedly. "But what if she says no?"

Anakin smiled slightly, and laid a comforting hand on his friends shoulder. "Trust me, man: she won't." And with that, he lengthened his stride until he was walking with his sister, where they both began talking and laughed like they had never been apart.

Kitster watched them for a moment, thinking over Anakin's words and wondering if maybe what he said was true, before sighing and catching up to them, joining in their conversation and playful teasing and soon forgetting all about his earlier worries.

* * *

Shmi and Beru had prepared a lavish meal while they had been out in celebration of Anakin's return – however brief it may be – and had even invited Kitster to join them, and then stay the night in one of their spare rooms, as it was dangerous to travel through the desert at night, and he had graciously accepted their offer – after much pleading and harassing from the twins, of course.

Anakin smiled as he watched the twins during dinner as they interacted with the others in his family, and wondered why the Jedi could ever forbid this.

Shmi noticed her son's small smile from where she sat opposite him, and asked curiously: "What's wrong, Ani?"

Anakin seemed to snap out of his trance, and he flashed her a heart-melting smile – Padme certainly was a lucky girl to have snagged a man with her little boy's looks, Shmi thought with a slight smile.

"Nothing's wrong, Mum." He replied with a slight smile. "I was just wondering how the Jedi could ever see this as bad."

She frowned, suddenly remembering something that she had heard a long time ago. "But if Jedi aren't allowed attachments, why are you married with children?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed as she remembered her son's devious nature. "Or do they even know?"

Anakin smiled slightly, picking up the gist of his mother's thoughts. "Relax, Mum: they know. But I married Padme before I informed the Council, so there wasn't exactly anything they could do about it. And they wouldn't expel me either, because the war had just broken out, and they needed me on the front lines."

Shmi sighed, shaking her head a little. "And I suppose you just conveniently 'forgot' to mention that you were getting married before then?" She asked, exasperated.

Anakin grinned. "But of course," he replied mischievously, and Shmi couldn't help but smile back.

Cliegg, having overheard their conversation, chuckled a little to himself. "What did they say when they found out your wife was with child?" He asked curiously, and Anakin sighed.

"Truthfully, they didn't know for a long time: Padme hid it for the first few months, before it became impossible not to notice as she began showing. Only then did the Council realise that she was pregnant, as she had had to hide it from the galaxy as no one really knows that we're married, but I think they were more exasperated, than angry. To be honest, I think they've kind of given up on me," Anakin replied truthfully, and Aeyla chuckled.

"Oh, I wonder why," She teased, and Anakin grinned back.

"Is it because you're always breaking the rules?" Jacob asked eagerly, and Anakin chuckled with a nod.

"Yep, sure is, kid."

Maggie frowned a little. "So why don't you just stop breaking the rules so that they won't be mad at you?"

"Because then he wouldn't be Anakin if he didn't break the rules, Mags," Aeyla said, ruffling the little girls hair affectionately.

Kitster chuckled. "Very true," He teased, and laughed when Anakin childishly stuck his tongue out at him.

"What's Naboo like, Ani?" Maggie asked eagerly. "Is it all sandy too?"

Anakin chuckled, and shook his head. "No, it's nothing like here. Although there is some sand, it's on beaches, and it's not rough and irritating like here, but soft…smooth." His mind instantly went back to the first time he and Padme had kissed, and Shmi wondered a little at what had brought the slight smile to his face. "There's whole meadows full of grass," He told the wide eyed twins, "And vast oceans perfect for swimming in in the warmer weather – there's even snow at some times of the year!"

"Wow!" Both twins breathed, and the adults had to chuckle, even though they quite liked the sound of the planet Anakin was describing as well.

"The architecture there is really something, as well," Anakin remarked as he took a bite of his mothers' delicious bantha stew. "The Palace in Theed is really beautiful."

"That would be so cool to see!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly, and Shmi smiled at him.

"Well, maybe you will someday."

"Yeah!" He proclaimed. "I'm gonna be the first one to travel to all the planets!"

Shmi and Anakin exchanged small, amused smiles, both remembering Anakin himself making a very similar claim so very long ago.

"So, tell me, Ani," His mother began playfully. "Have you been to every star yet?"

Anakin chuckled. "Nope," He replied with a grin. "But I have been to a fair few – unfortunately, most of them are battlefields, these days," He added ruefully, and Shmi couldn't help the worried frown that graced her weathered face as anxiety for her eldest crept up on her.

"You're being careful, though, aren't you?" She asked anxiously. "Oh, I hate the idea of you out there fighting that dreadful war!"

Her son gave her a patient smile. "It's not like I have much choice, Mom: and anyway, if not me, then someone else would have to, and it is my duty."

Shmi sighed. "I know, love. I just…"

He smiled at her. "It's fine, Mom: really. I'm fine." He added, to ease her nerves.

It worked a little, but he could tell that behind her smile she still worried about him.

"How many space battles have you been in, Ani?" Jacob asked eagerly, completely oblivious to the sudden tension around the table.

"Oh, one or two," Anakin responded vaguely, and his little brother fixed him with a comically shrewd look –comical because it just looked strange on one so young.

"You've been in more than two, I know it!" He replied, and Anakin smiled slightly.

"Truthfully, I've lost count of how many I've been in," He admitted ruefully, and his brother frowned.

"That many?"

"Yep."

"Wow."

"Wow indeed."

Shmi smiled a little as she watched her two boys interact, and Cliegg smiled too. Although he pretty much only knew Anakin through stories he had heard, he had found himself liking the young man before him more and more as time went on, and he had liked him from the moment he had met him all those years ago – especially since he had managed to do what forty moisture farmers couldn't and bring back his captured wife. Alive, at that.

"How did you get that scar, Ani?" Maggie questioned, referring to the scar down her older brother's right eye.

Aeyla noticed the sudden tension in her brother's body, but didn't comment. She knew how, as she had asked him the very same question once, but it hadn't been her place to tell any of the others.

"I got in a fight with a Sith Assassin." Anakin replied, and Maggie's eyes widened.

"The Sith are the bad guys, right?"

Anakin smiled slightly. "Yes, Maggie: the Sith are the bad guys."

"Did you get it before you exposed the Chancellor for what he really was?" Beru asked curiously, and Anakin nodded.

"Yeah: it was not long after the war had started, actually."

"Was it a hard fight?" Jacob asked innocently, missing the dark look that crossed Anakin's face.

"Fairly," he replied dryly, and Owen looked at him curiously. "I was already injured," he explained. "And none of us had slept in days. While the Clones dealt with the droids, I battled the Sith. We defeated them, but with great losses. Unfortunately, the Sith got away, fleeing when she realised that she was losing the battle and before I could kill her."

"Must you kill people, Ani?" His mother asked anxiously, concerned about what it must do to his state of mind.

"Yes." Her son replied flatly. "If you don't kill a Sith, they'll just find some way to get free, and then spread even more terror throughout the galaxy,"

Shmi still looked upset at the thought of her son as a soldier, but Cliegg nodded his understanding.

Moving the topic of conversation into lighter areas, he asked: "So, who's the new Chancellor of the Republic now that Palpatine has sided with the Separatists – sorry, the _Empire_?"

Anakin smiled slightly. "You don't know? I thought you got holo-net out here now?"

Kitster shook his head. "We do a bit, but only in the space-ports, really, as it's too expensive."

Anakin nodded in understanding, and answered his step-father's question. "It's Bail Organa now – the former Senator of Alderaan, and the husband of the Queen."

"Is he any good?" Shmi asked, tidying up the dishes, and Anakin nodded again.

"Yeah, he is actually: much better that Palpatine was, anyway. He was actually one of the Senators who fought against the war since before it even began, and has been working on a peaceful way to end it ever since. He's a good friend to the Jedi, which is nice, for once. As you can imagine, Palpatine wasn't really a fan."

"No, I don't suppose he would be," Shmi murmured offhandedly, more to herself that to the others.

"So the Republic's back on track, then?" Aeyla asked, and Anakin nodded.

"Yep. Better governed than Palpatine ever managed, anyway."

"Not that that would be too hard, if the stories are anything to go by," Kitster muttered, and Anakin gave him a slight smile, full of secrets – deep, dark secrets that Kitster wasn't even sure he wanted to know.

His eyes held traces of those secrets, too: eyes that had seen so much, seen things that no man – yet alone a young man in his early twenties – should ever have to see. But Anakin endured it all, and still came back home to his wife – and now his twin children.

Kitster smiled slightly at the thought: he had never really imagined being a father, and hadn't really thought about Anakin as one, either. But, now that he was, Kitster surprisingly didn't find it all that strange. Anakin had a way with kids – always had. Just watching him interact with Jake and Maggie was enough to prove that, and he was sure that those twins would be the most loved children in the galaxy. It was bound to be hard on all of them, Anakin being away fighting on the Front Lines so often, but they would pull through: those kids were Skywalkers, after all, and, from what Kitster knew of Padme, she was strong as well.

No, this war would not break them: they would fight it until their last breath, and both parents would do whatever they had to to end the turmoil throughout the galaxy and bring all those soldiers out there fighting back home, and bring peace and stability back to the galaxy once more.

He caught Anakin's eye, and smiled slightly.

Anakin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing," He replied hastily. "I was just thinking…it'll be hard on you, won't it? All of you, what with you away fighting so often…"

Anakin regarded him with a cool stare, but made no attempt to deny the claim, nor did he accept it either. But Kitster knew that this was just to keep Jake and Maggie from picking it up and bugging him about it, so he let it go.

Shmi pursed her lips as she sat back down at the table with them, but didn't comment. She knew what Kitster was talking about, and she knew how hard it must be on her baby boy. But she let the matter drop, as she could see that he didn't want to talk about it right now. She would leave him be, and not question him further…for now.

"So…how is the war these days?" Cliegg asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them.

Anakin sighed, and sat back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face. He suddenly looked exhausted, now that he wasn't hiding it behind that mask that came so easily after all these years of using it to hide his true emotions. "What do you want to know?"

"Well…who's winning?"

Anakin frowned, and propped his head up on a hand, thinking over the answer while regarding his step-father with a curious yet calculating expression.

"Hard to say," he replied. "We'll have driven them back, and the Senate will start moving for peace-negotiations, and then the droids will be back, stronger and larger in number than before." He shrugged. "Truth is, I don't think this war is going to end any time soon: certainly not until we've found and caught the Sith Lord. It can only truly end when Palpatine is dead – then they will have no-one to lead them, and, to be honest, it's him that's been orchestrating this entire war from the very beginning. The war can't end until he has been eliminated."

It should have shocked Shmi to hear her oldest son talk about the death of another man so clinically and easily, but she found part of herself agreeing with him: that monster had to die, and he had to die soon, otherwise thousands – _millions_ – more innocents would suffer because of his greed in wanting to rule the entire galaxy.

"Have you got any leads on where he might be?" Aeyla questioned, but wasn't all that surprised when her brother shook his head.

"None at all," Anakin replied a little gloomily. "We have people out looking all over the galaxy, and numerous spies, but…he knows how to be invisible."

"It can be a useful skill," Aeyla murmured offhandedly, and Anakin exchanged a small smiled with Kitster: after all, the three of them all knew how to disappear if they wanted to, and it was indeed a useful skill – in the right circumstances, of course.

"It's not a useful skill right now!" Shmi cried. "And how would you know anyway?"

Aeyla glanced over at Anakin, and his amused raised eyebrow seemed to say: _get out of that one_.

She shot him a withering look, oh-so-thankful for his non-existent help, and then shrugged at her mother. "I dunno. I just meant that it would be useful in the right circumstances: obviously not this one, though." She added quickly, and it seemed Shmi was deterred for now. Phew.

Cleigg quickly changed the subject. "So, will you be staying with us tonight, Anakin?"

Anakin smiled slightly. "My ship's not that far: I can easy go out and sleep there."

Shmi looked scandalised. "Nonsense!" She declared. "You'll be sleeping under my roof tonight, and that's final!"

Anakin smiled at her. "Thanks, Mum."

Her expression softened, and she smiled back at him fondly, running a hand through his hair as she passed by the back of the chair, her smile widening as he immediately scowled and shook his hair out again with his hands to give it that messy/sexy look like he had as a young boy – only without the sexiness, she thought with a wry grin.

Glancing over at her youngest daughter, Shmi held back an amused smile as Maggie tried in vain to stifle a humungous yawn.

"Right: bed, you two." She said decisively, and was immediately met with the usual moans, but in greater intensity.

"Oh, but _Mom_!" Both twins complained. "We want to speak to Anakin!" Jacob continued, and Anakin chuckled.

"I'll still be here when you get up," He reassured them, and, with much grumbling and complaining, the twins finally slouched off to bed, slightly mollified by the knowledge that their oldest brother would still be there in the morning, but still shooting glances back at him over their shoulders as they left the room.

Cliegg chuckled as he watched his wife herd the twins out the room. "They've really taken a shine to you," he commented to his step-son, and the young man gave him a lazy grin, stretching his long legs out in front of him, and rolling his neck a little to work out some of the tension that always seemed to be present these days. He really needed to spend some time alone with his wife: she did a _mean_ massage.

"Can you blame them?" He said with a cheeky smile, and then stifled a huge yawn of his own. "I _am_ irresistible."

Aeyla snorted. "Big head." She muttered again, and he shot her a wicked grin.

"Hey, you've said it yourself," He shot back, and she scoffed.

"Oh, _when_?" She snapped back, horrified, and he laughed as Shmi came back in, giving her a smile.

"So, how's Padme?" His mother asked, taking her seat once again and watching as a soft smile spread across her sons' face.

"Padme's fine – great, actually, considering,"

"Considering what?" Cliegg asked, and Anakin ran his hand ruefully through his hair.

"We – ah…didn't know Padme was going to have twins," He admitted. "To conceal her relationship with me, Padme never saw a healer during her pregnancy, so we only found out when she went into labour."

Shmi looked shocked at this. "She never saw a healer during her _entire pregnancy_? That wasn't exactly sensible! Why didn't you make her go to make sure the baby was healthy when she realised she was pregnant?" She demanded, and Anakin rolled her eyes.

"Because I only found out when she was already five months gone," He replied, which silenced his mother momentarily. He sighed. "If I had known she was pregnant, I would have come back sooner, even if it meant defying orders," He admitted. "But I didn't know when I was shipped out again, and she had no way to contact me – and it wasn't exactly something we could discuss over the comm., as anyone could have intercepted it. We had both planned to leave our duties behind when the baby was born, but…things got complicated." He admitted. "Padme took maternity leave, and will return to her post as Senator in a couple of months – luckily, the queen was much more understanding than she had feared – and I've been trying to get time off to see them as often as I can."

Shmi nodded. "It must be hard, though," She commented, her heart going out to the young woman who her son was obviously head over heels for, and the heartache she must go through every time she had to lie alone at night in a cold bed with no body besides hers to warm her up, wishing desperately that her husband could come home to her – and now, to her two young children.

"It is," Anakin said softly. "For all of us."

There was silence for a few moments, everyone thinking heavy thought, before Anakin couldn't contain another enormous yawn.

Shmi spotted this instantly. "I think you'd better get to bed too," She said shrewdly, and Anakin chuckled. "Why are you so tired, anyway?"

He shrugged. "Just haven't been getting much sleep, is all. I've only just gone on leave from a long mission, anyway, and I didn't exactly have time to sleep during it."

Shmi's eyes were wide as she jumped to her feet. "Well, what are you sitting around here talking to us for?!" She exclaimed. "Come on: I'll show you to your room."

Anakin grinned, and gave the others a smile as he followed her out the room, already looking forwards to getting some much needed rest.

* * *

"So, that was Anakin," Cliegg said later that night as his wife snuggled down in bed with him.

"Yes, that was Ani," She said with a happy sigh, leaning her head against his shoulder. "He's grown so much."

"He has," Cliegg agreed. "Even from when I met him when he rescued you, he's come a long way."

She smiled slightly. "And a father, too! Goodness, I didn't think I'd be a Grandmother for a long time yet! Heavens knows Owen should have proposed to Beru _ages_ ago!"

Cliegg laughed a little at this. "That he should, my dear. But he has now, and they'll be getting married soon, I'm sure."

Shmi rolled her eyes. "Yes, but have they even started planning, yet?!"

Cliegg chuckled again, and kissed the top of her head gently. "I don't know, my dear. I really don't know – though I doubt it."

Shmi smiled, snuggling into his side. "Well, regardless, it's good to have my little boy back. But he's all grown up now." She sighed sadly, and Cleigg squeezed her gently.

"He's still your son, Shmi, and he loves you very much: I can tell. You did the right thing by encouraging him to leave to be trained as a Jedi, so don't you ever think otherwise."

"I wasn't –"

"Yes, you were." He cut in, knowing full well what she was going to say. "And think about all the lives he's saved helping people – not to mention he'd probably never have married Padme if he'd stayed here, and you wouldn't have twin grandchildren, either!"

Shmi smiled happily at the thought of the young twins. She wished desperately that she could see them, but she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to: after all, it wasn't as if they had the money to take a trip off planet at this time, and she knew from experience that it could be incredibly tiring and stressful with a new baby and lots of visitors, and she would never force that upon her sons young wife.

Goodness, she had a daughter-in-law! This was simply amazing. She was a little disappointed that Aeyla hadn't told any of them that Anakin had married Padme and that they were expecting when she had found out, but she understood that it was not her secret to tell: though she would have loved to have known, she supposed that there was nothing she could do about it now, and it wasn't like she could have done anything with the knowledge, anyway.

Her head still filled with thought of her son and his young family, Shmi drifted off into a peaceful sleep filled with pleasant dreams, and awoke in the morning feeling refreshed and filled with happiness as she hummed to herself as she set about the task of making breakfast for everyone.

* * *

The twins were soon up and bouncing around, bubbling over with even more energy than usual if that was even possible, and Aeyla rolled her eyes at them as she came into the kitchen, dressed in her usual clothes, despite the fact that Shmi didn't exactly approve of them.

"Morning, Mum," She said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek before pouring herself a cup of caf. "How're you this morning?"

Shmi returned her smile with a wide one of her own. "I'm wonderful, thank you dear."

Aeyla hid a smile behind her cup at this reply, knowing that her mother was still on a high from Anakin's return.

Speaking of Anakin…

"Hey Mum," He said, coming into the kitchen looking a little more awake than he had yesterday, but not much. He too kissed her cheek, before gulping down a mug of scalding caf and getting himself a refill as he sat down at the table with the twins, Aeyla and Owen, who were also up – Beru had headed home last night to see her own family, as they didn't stay too far away.

"You still look tired, dear." Shmi said, looking at him with worry. "Didn't you sleep?"

Anakin gave her a reassuring smile. "No, I did." He assured her. "I was just _really_ tired. I would've slept longer, but I still seem to be on mission mode: so go to sleep late and get up _way_ too early." He continued ruefully, and Aeyla snorted into her mug.

At that moment Kitster came in, yawning hugely and running a hand through his decidedly ruffled hair. "Morning," He yawned, and Aeyla had to stop herself staring at him: who knew Kitster looked so hot first thing in the morning – with some _massive_ bed-head.

Well, actually, she did know that, having stayed at his place a couple of times when working some missions for the Freedom Fighters, and it was always a nice way to start a morning seeing him get up all rumpled – even better when he didn't have a shirt on, but she wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

Anakin's eyes flickered between the two of them as Kitster's gaze lingered on his little sister for a moment before heading to get his own caf, and a devilish smile fixed itself upon his face.

Kitster sat down opposite his old friend, and raised an eyebrow at him. "What're you smirking about?"

"Nothing," Anakin replied lightly, though Kitster could still easily see the devilish twinkle in his eyes. "So, you see something you like this morning?"

Shmi looked at the pair curiously, as Kitster glared at his friend, knowing fine well what he was on about.

"Shut your mouth, Skywalker." He glowered, but Anakin just reclined back in his chair, still grinning as he was enjoying this immensely.

"But why? 'Cause you know, I think Aeyla's quite star struck this morning as well."

"WHAT?" Aeyla blurted, choking on her caf and staring at her brother incredulously. "What the hell are you on about?!"

Anakin was enjoying this _way_ too much. "Oh, come on! When are you going to admit that you like each other? No offense, but that's a long time to hold a candle,"

"Like you can bloody talk." Kitster growled, but Anakin just waved him off.

"At least _I've_ done something about it. You haven't."

Shmi was looking at them in bewilderness, Owen in amusement, and the twins…well, the twins weren't paying much attention, too focused on munching steadily through their breakfast.

"What are you both on about?" She asked, and Anakin opened his mouth with a grin.

Before he could say anything, however, Kitster spoke through him. "Nothing!" He yelped. "We're not on about anything! Why-why would we be?" He stammered, and her eyes widened as she _finally_ caught on and Owen burst out laughing.

"Come on, just ask her out already!" He guffawed, and found that Kitster's glower was now turned on him.

Aeyla was staring at Kitster with wide eyes. She had always known that she was falling for him, but she hadn't realised that he felt the same! "What?" She said quietly. "Kitster, what are they on about?"

He was looking distinctly uncomfortable, and wouldn't meet her eyes. "Nothing, Aeyla, just leave it." He muttered, but Aeyla wasn't letting this go.

"No." She said stubbornly, and then rolled her eyes and stood up.

She stalked around the table and grabbed his arm. "Come on," She said firmly, and he obediently followed her out of the room, confounded. What was she doing?

She dragged him down the hall, and pulled him into an empty room, before releasing his arm and turning to face him with her arms folded over her chest and her eyebrow raised.

"Well? What are they talking about?"

He sighed, and looked away again. "Aeyla…"

She frowned, and took a step towards him, her arms loosening slightly. "Do you…do you _like_ me?"

He glanced at her sharply at this, and found that she was standing a lot closer than he had thought she was. He opened his mouth to say something – to deny it – but he found himself caught in those mesmerising blue eyes of hers, loosing himself in their beauty.

Aeyla felt the change within him – felt it within herself, and felt the pull that was drawing them together.

A moment later his lips were on hers – soft and tentative, as if unsure; firmer when she didn't pull away. Aeyla felt her eyes flutter closed and her heart jump in her chest as she reached up to twine her arms around his neck, his wrapping firmly around her waist and pulling her flush against his body, his lips hungry now, eager as his mouth plundered her own.

Aeyla gasped a little as the tip of his tongue touched her bottom lip, and he used this as an opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth, smoothing it along her own and eliciting a moan of pleasure from the back of her throat that set him on edge.

When the need to breath became too great, Aeyla broke the kiss, leaning her forehead against Kitster's as they both panted and gasped for breath.

"Yes," He breathed after a moment, and she frowned a little, confused until he continued: "Yes, I like you. I'm just sorry I took this long to admit it."

She smiled softly at him, drawing him in for a soft kiss. "I'm sorry too." She murmured, and he grinned at her, before crushing his lips to hers once more and becoming lost in her taste and the incredible feeling of finally holding her in his arms…

* * *

Anakin grinned triumphantly as the two of them left, and Owen rolled his eyes at him.

"You're cruel, you know that?"

"Yep," Anakin replied lightly, not seeming to care at all. "'Bout time though, don't you think?"

His step-brother chuckled. "Definitely. You think he'll admit he has feeling for her now?"

Anakin smiled softly. "Oh yeah. I'd say they're definitely together now."

"She feels the same way?"

Anakin snorted. "Hell yeah."

Shmi smiled at the two. "Well, I approve," She remarked as her husband came in and joined them at the table in his hoover chair.

"Approve of what?" He asked curiously, and Anakin grinned.

"Aeyla and Kitster."

The old man's eyes widened. "They're together?!"

"Yep," Anakin replied, popping the 'p', and Cleigg frowned in confusion.

"But…for how long? And why didn't I know about it?"

Anakin laughed. "A couple of minutes, and 'cause you weren't here."

His step-father looked surprised. "I didn't even know they had feelings for each other."

Shmi rolled her eyes. "_Men,_" She sighed. "Honestly."

Her two boys glared playfully at her, but she just waved them off with a grin as Aeyla and Kitster came back in…holding hands.

Anakin's eyes immediately zeroed in on the joined appendages, and a triumphant grin spread like wildfire across his face, but his little sister fixed him with a warning glare.

"Not. A. Word."

He held his hands up in mock surrender as he laughed, and then smiled at the pair. "Seriously, though, guys," He said. "I'm happy for you."

Kitster returned his smile. "Thanks, bro." He smiled softly at the young woman who sat next to him at the table, a happy glow in her cheeks and a spark in her eyes that lit them up beautifully. "And you were right: it was about time."

Aeyla gave him a stunning smile in return, and Anakin hid his own smile as he watched them. It was good to see his little sister so happy, since happiness wasn't something easily found on this sand ball.

"How long are you staying, Ani?" Maggie spoke up, having finished her food and was now looking at him expectantly, an identical expression on her little brother's face as he too looked towards his older brother, and Anakin's smile slipped a bit.

He bit his lip. "Actually, I'd better leave today," He admitted, and they looked down at the table, disappointed. "I'll stay till this evening," He reassured them. "But I do need to get back. I haven't seen my kids in a while."

Shmi smiled softly at him, laying a hand on the twin's shoulders as she came up behind them. "We understand, Ani. And, while we had a wonderful time with you yesterday and we would love it if you could stay longer, perhaps you ought to leave earlier than this evening: it's a long flight to Naboo, isn't it?"

He nodded, "A few hours, yeah."

"Well, then, we don't want you to return to that wife of yours dead on your feet, now do we?" She chided gently. It broke her heart to say her next words, but she said them anyway. "Why don't you leave as soon as you're ready? It's not that we want you gone," She quickly reassured him, although Anakin knew that already. "It's just that I think you should spend some time with Padme – and not to mention the twins! – before you have to leave for the war again."

Anakin stood up and made his way round the table, pulling his mother into the strong circle of his arms as he could sense that she needed a hug right now. "Thank you, Mom," He murmured quietly to her. "You know I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Ani." She choked back a sob as she clung to him, and then suddenly the twins were there too, squeezing their little arms around both their mother and their older brother.

Kitster and Aeyla exchanged a look, before shrugging and standing up, dragging Owen with them as they joined the group hug.

Cliegg watched the small family moment with a sad smile as he sat in his chair, knowing that Anakin would soon be gone. It had been great having him here for the – very brief – visit, but he knew that, if it were him, he'd want to get back to his wife and children too, so he didn't blame the young man in the slightest. In fact, he felt a surge of pride as he watched him. He was so good with the twins, and Shmi loved him so much, and the familiarity he had with both Aeyla and Kitster was heart-warming, and he was even proud of the way he and Owen weren't competitive in the slightest, which he had once feared before the two had met when he had thought about what would happen if they ever met Anakin.

Then he had shown up with Padme, and Cliegg had had to tell him that his mother was most likely dead, but Anakin had refused to give up on her. He had succeeded where forty had failed, and brought her back – alive. Any animosity Owen may have felt towards his half-brother had evaporated then, when he had seen how much he loved Shmi, and when he had saved her and brought her back to them.

Of course, they were all a little disappointed when he and Padme had left, but they knew that they both had a duty, and that they weren't about to betray the Republic – even if they weren't supposed to be on Tatooine back then, anyway.

He came over to them, and the little group hug split up as he came to a halt in front of Anakin.

He smiled at him, and extended his hand to shake, which Anakin did with a firm grip and a warm smile.

"Go," Cliegg said softly. "They need you more than we do." The words may have sounded mean in another context, but Anakin knew very well what he meant. "Just don't wait so long to visit again," Cleigg said, and Anakin grinned.

"I won't," He laughed. "And thank you. Really."

Cliegg smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. You just focus on enjoying your time with your new family, and taking a break from that dreadful war."

Anakin grinned. "I will." He turned to his mother. "And if you lot are ever on Coruscant, you should come see me." He said with a cheeky grin, and Shmi laughed, slapping his arm gently.

"Yes, because we leave the planet so often." She laughed, and then softened, giving her son one last hug before he hugged the twins and Owen, saying his goodbyes before leaving with Aeyla and Kitster and heading to their speeder, which Aeyla would bring back later.

* * *

The first few minutes of the ride into Mos Espa was silent, before Kitster suddenly stopped the speeder and got out of the drivers seat.

Aeyla looked at him oddly. "What are you doing?"

He grinned at his new girlfriend. "Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like some speed."

She grinned, and then they both turned to look expectantly at Anakin, who laughed and swapped placed with Kitster.

As soon as they were all strapped in again, he floored it.

* * *

He slowed down considerably as they entered the outskirts of the space port, and headed to the hanger where he had left his ship.

Pulling over at the side, the three sat for a moment in silence, before piling out of the speeder and following Anakin inside.

They stood back a bit as he spoke to the alien who manned the hanger, and then followed after him again as he headed to his ship.

Kitster's eyes widened as he saw it, and Anakin grinned at his expression.

"Is that an actual Jedi starfighter?"

"Yep. The _Azure Angel_. I suppose I shouldn't really have it out here, but who cares?"

Aeyla laughed a little at this as she ran her hand admiringly over the yellow striped paintwork. "I'm guessing you've made some modifications?"

"Of course." He replied easily, leaning against the side of it as he watched them admire his ship.

Kitster found a scorch mark and grinned.

Anakin winced, "Yeah, I haven't exactly had time to fix it up since the last battle."

"I'm surprised he got you." He replied with a wicked grin, and his old friend shot him a withering look, straightening up from his position as the pair stepped back from his ship.

Aeyla was the first to hug her brother, holding him tightly for a moment before stepping back. "Promise you'll talk to us soon."

Anakin laughed. "I promise," He said softly, and then hugged Kitster. "And take care of each other, you two. I mean it. Hold on, and do not let go."

Kitster wound an arm around Aeyla's waist and smiled softly. "We will, Anakin. And take care of yourself, too: you have something to live for now – don't throw that away."

Anakin smiled. "I won't."

There was silence as they realised that this really was goodbye, and, after exchanging one last hug with her brother, Aeyla stood with Kister's arm around her and watched as her brother jumped into his ship and ran the pre-flight checks. His droid had stayed with the ship, and it whistled softly at them, before Anakin gave them one last smile and took off, sailing cleanly out of the hanger and up into the sky, headed out of the atmosphere and towards the hyperspace ring that Aeyla knew was waiting for him.

She sighed and finally dragged her gaze off of the skies when she could no longer see her brother's ship at all.

"Come on then," She said gloomily. "We'd best get going."

They were receiving some strange looks from the others milling around the hanger, having been standing staring up at the sky for a good ten minutes, and they hurried out, avoiding the odd looks and sharing a feeling of melancholy as they realised that, though he had said he'd visit again, that may be the last time they ever saw Anakin.

Nothing was certain in such a time of war, and Anakin was fighting two. All they could do was hope and pray that he would make it through, and that he and his wife could raise their children in a time of peace.

Heading back to the Lars' later that day, Aeyla allowed herself a small smile as she thought of that: she was an aunt, and she had the man of her dreams. Sure, her brother was fighting in a terrible war, as well as the secret one that she herself fought, and she doubted she'd ever get to meet her young niece and nephew, but it was still a nice feeling to have a large, extended family.

As things went, things were looking pretty good right now. Her brother may have left, but she still had plenty here, and it wasn't often she thought of Tatooine in a good light.

Just another crazy day in the life of Aeyla Skywalker, right enough.

* * *

**So, I know I left a lot of things open there, and some things were confusing, but I did that so that I can write another part set after this – I'm thinking maybe I'll bring that Lars' to Naboo to meet Padme and the twins.**

**Also, I may post some more on the Freedom Fighters, as I think those bits were probably confusing.**

**Anyway, this time, please leave more some reviews, and let me know if you want any more Aeyla Skywalker stories. They won't all be on the same time-line if you do, but some will probably be connected to this story, anyway. **

**Also, don't expect regular updates if you do want anymore, as I try to write these ones really long since they're pretty much one-shots that can be connected, so they take me ages to write. Just a heads up :)**

**Let me know what you think this time please, and I'll see about the next instalment.**


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